self care (Essay Sample)

Name Instructor Course Date Reflections on My Self-Care Journey Introduction We are conditioned as children to feel bad about relaxing and enjoying our free time. Asking a college student what they do in terms of self-care is frequently met with their confusion. Self-improvement is not self-care. There is a distinction between the two. Self-improvement refers to enhancing one's knowledge, status, or character by independent endeavors. And so, what is self-care? Things that are kept in a simple way to let you relax and enjoy the rest of your days are what can be used to describe self-care. Self-care measures can be simple. That is to say, it need not always be a significant undertaking. For example, doing simple yoga poses or spending hours in meditation constitutes self-care. Self-care often involves engaging in something to make you happier, more rested, and more organized. In the beginning of the semester, I honestly believed I could maintain my self-care goals, but as the semester went on, it grew more and harder to do so. My workload began to significantly rise, making it challenging to continue working toward my initial goals. Due to my time limitations, I also had to change a lot of my goals and reduce their frequency. For example, I had a resolution to work out for at least 30 minutes at the recreation facility. Wendy Suzuki explains that exercise causes cell regeneration in the brain, hence increasing the memory capacity (Suzuki). Exercise has grown to be a crucial component of my life. I used to complain of restlessness, anxiety, and irritation before I started caring for my physical welfare. I had a busy schedule, so getting enough sleep was not a top priority. I slept for fewer than six hours every night, always felt exhausted when I woke up, and had stressful days when I had to work. However, I came to the realization that I had to stop coming to the recreation facility every time I wanted to because I needed to prepare for other projects and exams. As such, I realized that there was a need to modify this goal and make it a once-a-week objective where I would be taking a half-hour walk or going to the gym. I have made sure to really give my self-care routine a little additional effort this week in order to better equip myself for the upcoming weeks, which will be extremely busy. Considering my intention and plan regarding self-care, I made efforts to spend a little more time on myself, go to the gym as frequently as I could, and go to bed earlier so that I could get the adequate amount of sleep I would need to function properly throughout everyday activity. It was nice that I was able to really touch on those things last week, and I'm glad I was able to do it again this week for myself. Going to bed early to get the right amount of sleep, remaining active, and going to the gym to maintain a healthy lifestyle have all remained items of priority in my self-care plan. lately, I have been making an effort to stick to my self-care plan, and so far, I think I've done a terrific job at it. It has not only benefited my daily life, but I also feel rejuvenated and more energetic. Even though I have had a few occasions where I was able to get to bed by 9:30 p.m. and it was wonderful, I generally try to get to bed by 10 p.m. or later every day, especially during the week. I've been giving myself the recommended eight hours of sleep each night, and I've only noticed good results. I can think clearly and work properly during the day. According to David Forster Wallace, learning to think entails gaining some degree of control over your thoughts (Wallace 4). It entails being mindful and alert enough to control what you focus on and how you interpret your experiences. As such, learning to think is a significant aspect of self-care. I was able to get to the gym five times a week, and even though I expressed my desire to go every day, it isn't always going to be possible. That's alright as long as I am still giving my body the exercise that it needs, especially after long days with a lot of sitting around. Sometimes I have difficult days and even weeks. For instance, some days I get nervous about school-related issues as well as on issues to do with my interpersonal interactions, which makes me occasionally feel uneasy at midnight. I attempt to read about mental health when I'm feeling unhappy or anxious. Such readings have become a means for me to talk to myself and make appropriate reflections. Neff and Germer explain the need to face the ways that might be harming us (Neff and Germer 162). It is only by doing so that we can make things better and prosper. Reading gives me an opportunity to decompress and ask myself some questions on my mental health and state of happiness. In addition to that, I would also watch some YouTube videos. As a habit carried forward from the heights of the recent pandemic when social interaction was curtailed, I have become accustomed to spending most of my time alone at home. So, when the weather is sunny, I would go for an hour-long walk outside. I have come to the realization that exposure to the sunlight always improves my mood. Notably, reading has so many wonderful advant...